Birthday Countdown
by Iris McKennen
Summary: Joey's birthday is comin' up and his bestfriend Mushi forgot about it!She only has a few days left to prepare her present to him.JoeyxMushi pairing.Please review.Rated T for...safety. :P
1. Chapter 1: Oh shoot!

**So, yeah, this'll be my very first fanfic. Hope I did a good job. :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KND.**

"Muuuuuuuuuuushiiiiiiiiiiii~!" a young lady screamed while shaking what seemed to be a piece of lump on the bed."Mushi! Mushi! Mushi! Get up! Get up! Get UUUUUP! You're gonna be late for schooool~!"The young lady continued to shake the lump, only this time with much greater force.

"Bakaaaa~! **(A/N: Baka means idiot in Japanese^^)**Did you hit your head again?It's Saturday today Kuki-chan!" The "piece of lump" revealed herself as an annoyed teenager.

" he. Silly me!"The older one lightly hit her own head after realizing her stupidity.

Kuki Sanban, a hyperactive 20-year-old who acts like a child. She has long, dark hair that reaches to her thighs. She has a slender figure and is extremely pretty. Because of that, she is able to catch the hearts of many young men.

The younger one just sighed and rolled her eyes. Since it's only 6:30 a.m., she decided to go back to sleep.

Mushi Sanban, a grouchy 16-year-old teenager who does nothing but sleep. She also has the same dark hair as her sister; except hers was shorter, reaching only up to her waist. Though she is the younger one, she is much more mature than her sister. She may not be as pretty as her sister but she is pretty enough to have many suitors.

"C'mon Mushi-chan!"Kuki exclaimed while throwing Mushi's blanket away."At least help me with the groceries!"

Mushi sat up and sighed in defeat."Alright. Let me brush my teeth first."She stood up and headed for the bathroom.

"Okies Dokie!I'm gonna go prepare your breakfast for you Mushi chaaan~!"Kuki said as she went to the kitchen.

"Whatever."

After 20 minutes, Mushi went out of the bathroom. She got her bowl of cereal and sat on the couch, next to her sister. Kuki was watching some DVD she bought at a store. It was an anime about unrequited love **(A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Honey and Clover :P)**. Kuki had her full attention towards the T.V., not realizing that Mushi was next to her.

"_Does she __**ALWAYS**__ have to watch her dumb shows so early in the morning?"_ Mushi thought, obviously annoyed. She looked up to the calendar that was hanging by the nearby wall. _"October 27. Hmm...why do I feel like I'm forgetting somethin'?"_

"Oh shoot!" Mushi exclaimed while accidentally dropping her bowl of cereal.

"Mushi! Clean up this mess RIGHT NOW!" The shattering of the porcelain bowl snapped Kuki back to reality.

"Kuki-chan! You've got to help me!" Mushi panicked while shaking her sister.

"What? No way! It's your mess so clean it up by yourself!"

"Not that idiot!" Mushi exclaimed while pointing to "the mess". "THAT!" she exclaimed once more, but this time she pointed to the calendar.

"So?"

"So…that means my bestfriend Joey's birthday is comin' up and I still haven't found a gift for him!"

At that moment the doorbell rang, surprising the Sanban sisters.

**Heh, so, whaddya think? Please review. Flames are accepted as well. :P**


	2. Chapter 2 : Ding Dong!

**Ok then!The reviews motivated me to do the second chapter, so here it is!Speaking of reviews, I would like to thank all of my reviewers!Thank you very much!Oh and, btw…**

**KNDtilldeath-*hugs* I .LOVE. YOU. Seriously, I do. :D**

**numbuh310alltheway-Thank you very much! You have no idea how much you made me happy. :D**

**Anyways, here ya go!The second chapter of Birthday Countdown!Please enjoy!^^**

"_So…that means my bestfriend Joey's birthday is comin' up and I still haven't found a gift for him!"_

_At that moment the doorbell rang, surprising the Sanban sisters._

Kuki went to the door, but before opening it she said to Mushi, "Clean it up, NOW. Oh, and, the groceries."

Mushi sighed, but was surprised when she heard her sister's loud gasp.

"WALLY!" was the only thing that came out of Kuki's mouth upon opening the door.

"Oh boy" Mushi rolled her eyes while cleaning up the mess.

"Hiya Kooks!Missed me?"Wallabee "Wally" Beatles, a young man with an Australian accent greeted. He has the same age as Kuki's. He was taller than her, and his body was-kinda muscular. He has bowl-shaped haircut, while his bangs was covering his emerald eyes. Did I mention he's Kuki's _boyfriend_?

"Of course I did!"Kuki exclaimed while hugging Wally. She missed him soooo much. You see, the Beatles family payed a visit his grandma. So he was out of town for a few weeks.

"And I missed you too!" Wally said while cuddling Kuki's nose with his own.

"Yuck." Mushi whispered while mopping the stained part of the floor. Unfortunately, Wally heard Mushi's little complain. _"Another bowl of cereal wasted?"_ Wally thought to himself.

"Know what Mushi? Spilled milk isn't so disgusting." Wally chuckled as he joked. Kuki just giggled.

"Haha. Very funny."

"Hey Kooks," Wally said. "Why not go out on date? Just you and me."

"Really?" Kuki exclaimed cheerfully. "Alright then! Let me fix myself!**(A/N: Forgot to tell you that they were still their jammies. My bad. Sorry **** )**" Wally nodded.

Kuki ran up the stairs and headed straight to the shower. Meanwhile…

"Sit." Mushi snapped.

"Huh?" Wally shot his head towards Mushi.

"I said sit you idiot."

Wally looked over their couch, it was still kinda wet. "Nah" he said while shaking his head no.

"Fine. If you're comfortable with standing I won't force you. I just want to remind you that your _girlfriend _is gonna take a while."

Wally thought about it for a moment, then spotted a stool nearby. He walked towards it and said to Mushi, "I'll sit here."

"Whatever."

"_This stool is a life saver. I want to look good in front of Kuki. After all, we haven't seen each other for weeks! I need to make it up to her." _ Wally was thinking about their date. He didn't really plan this, that's why he was so troubled. _"Where should I take her? What would she like to do? How-"_

"You look good today. You really planned this didn't ya?" Mushi said as she smiled.

"Uhh…yeah, guess so." Wally replied. He was wearing a black shirt that was topped by an orange hooded vest. He also wore his favorite jeans, his chains were hanging by the side. His look was completed by a pair of black and white Converse. 

Mushi went back to fixing the groceries. She didn't reply to Wally's answer, because it was obvious that he was lying. The only person who wouldn't notice it was Kuki.

After 10 minutes, Mushi was done fixing the groceries and, coincidently, Kuki was done fixing herself too. She went downstairs to carry on with her date. As soon as Wally saw Kuki, his mouth automatically dropped, and his eyes widened. Mushi couldn't help but laugh at Wally, his face was too priceless!

Kuki was wearing a simple sleeveless green blouse. The straps were tied behind her neck, and she was wearing white shorts. Her hair flows freely at her back. The white sandals she wore really matched the outfit. She had her green bangles and white watch on, for her accessories.

"C'mon Wally!Don't just stand there, let's go!" Kuki said.

"I think he's in dreamland." Mushi joked while waving her hand in front of Wally's face.

"Am not!" Wally suddenly exclaimed, shaking his head until he got dizzy. " C'mon Kooks. Let's go."

Before they left, Kuki left Mushi some instructions, telling her to guard the house, don't let strangers come in, and the like. After that, they left Mushi alone. Not long after, the doorbell rang.

Mushi opened the door, and was annoyed to see Wally standing in front of her.

"Dropped my wallet." He said while picking it up.

Mushi closed the door, and once again, the doorbell rang.

"Forgot my phone." Kuki said while running upstairs, which annoyed Mushi so much.

A minute passed by and the doorbell suddenly rang, _again._

"Oh come on!What the heck did they possibly have forgotten now ?" Mushi shouted angrily, throwing hands in the air.

Once she opened the door she didn't found any Wally or Kuki, instead she found her other bestfriend, Crissy.

"Hey Mushi! Do you want to-" Sadly, Crissy was interrupted by the big slam of the door."O-kay, I'll leave then."

"_Whatever she wants, I'll say no." _Mushi thought._"How did __**I**__ became friends with __**her **__**again**__?" _This made Mushi pause for a moment.

_-Flashback-_

_Mushi was running in the school hallways, all alone. It was her first day of school and she's late! She ran as fast as she could, hoping she'll be able to make it on time. She arrived on the classroom, panting. She was extremely exhausted from all the running. The teacher was about to scold her when a girl came. She was panting as well. After a few seconds she stood up straight and said…_

"_I'm so sorry teacher! I promise I will never let it happen again!"_

_All Mushi can do was look at her. The girl has shoulder-length brown hair and has deep brown eyes. She wore a simple hooded pink blouse, with pockets on the side, and a white miniskirt. She also wore dark blue cycling shorts underneath her skirt. She has a white Converse on, matched with her pink socks._

_Mushi then began apologizing as well, "Uhh…I guess I'm sorry too. Won't let it happen again. Ever." She said while slowly standing up straight._

_The teacher sighed and let them in. Since it was the first day of school, she somehow expected this to happen._

"_Alright. I'll let you two through. But since both of you are late, you both have to be lab partners. The others are already taken." The teacher explained._

"_No problem with that!" The girl gleefully said._

"_Okay." was all Mushi can say. She may have agreed, but inside it was driving her nuts! She can't be lab partners with a girly-girl! It's like dealing with two Kukis!_

_Well, there's nothing she can really do about it. She just sighed as she walked towards an empty seat. The girl followed behind. Mushi found out that her name was Christine, and that she's a foreign exchange student from the Philippines. The girl said Mushi can her Crissy, her nickname. And just like that, they became the best of friends._

_-End Flashback-_

"_If I hadn't been late, she wouldn't have been my bestfriend." _Mushi thought as she sighed.

Then, the doorbell rang, _again_. Mushi answered it, only to find the mailman. This made her furious.

After a minute of shouting, the mailman ran away, terrified by the 16-year-old. Mushi can hardly control herself as she slammed the door shut.

After a few seconds, the doorbell went ding-dong, for the _fifth _time. Mushi was beginning to think that the world hates her or somethin' like that. She was about to yell at the person standing by the door, but upon seeing the person, she stopped, and immediately calmed down.

**Guess who? :D**

**Oh, and Crissy will be my OC. Actually she is my bestfriend , and were both from the Philippines. Yeah, that's right, I'M FROM THE PHILIPPINES! So yeah, she's a real person. Anyways, kindly wait for the next chapter, kay? **

**Review! Review! Review! **


	3. Extra: The Origin

**Just a little side chapter of how this story came to be. ^^**

One evening I was searching for a fanfic at FanFiction . net. I have been reading a few KukixWally stories, so I decided to find a MushixJoey one, because I think they look cute together! I was disappointed when I found none. Later on, while I was trying to fall asleep, an idea came to my mind. It was a story about Joey and Mushi. I decided to ignore it, knowing I would forget it for the next few days. But sadly, I was wrong. The ideas just keep flowing to my mind! Then I remembered . I always read fanfics about many categories. Animes such as Ouran Host Club, Special A, Honey and Clover, Black Cat, etc. and Cartoons like Codename:KND, Xiaolin Showdown, etc. In other words, I've always read fanfics, but I've never made one before. Another thought came to my mind. Why not make an account, and make the fanfic myself! I quickly erased the idea on my mind. Seriously, me? And besides, I'd only get flames. I'll be a bad writer, forget about it. I'll just wait until someone makes the story I'm looking for. Months passed by, and still none! And everyday my troublesome ideas about the fanfic grows larger and larger! But one day, I gave up and said, THIS IS SERIOUSLY DRIVING ME NUTS! I NEED TO WRITE THIS, ASAP! And here it is, on FanFiction . net, seen by thousands of people. I never expected I would do this.

**If ever you found typos, wrong grammar or anything like that, please ignore it. I made this side story in 12 midnight. I was only motivated to do this because I SAW A PICTURE OF THE GUY OF MY DREAMS. He used to go at the same school I go to, but sadly, he graduated. T.T**

**If you don't want to review, then don't. I won't force you into doing something you don't want to do. But feel free to comment of this story's origin! :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Sleepovers

**I would like to thank KNDfangirl and numbuh310alltheway for their heartwarming reviews and words of encouragement!Thank you very very much!^^**

**Anyways, the official third chapter is here! Enjoy! :D**

Confusion. Surprise. Anger.

These are the three things that struck Mushi upon opening the door. No matter how much annoying her bestfriend can be, she still hated to her cry.

"Alright. Who's butt am I gonna kick?" Mushi asked Crissy.

"Y-you don't *sniff* have to *sniff* k-kick anyone's butt. You should *sniff* s-scold me instead. It's *sniff * all my *sniff* fault. I just *sniff* expected too much.*sniff*" Crissy said while crying…and sniffing.

"What do you mean?"

"I… i-it was just…UWAAAA~! Mushi it was too much!" And with that, Crissy bursted into tears, leaving Mushi completely surprised, and at the same time, confused.

"I JUST SAW MY STUPID BOYFRIEND KISSING A GIRL!" Crissy shouted angrily.

Mushi was about to speak when Crissy interrupted her.

"And I thought he loved me!" Once again, she bursted into tears. "Alright! No more mister nice guy! It's payback time!" She said while her hands turned into fists.

"_Seconds ago she was crying, and now she's…angry? Come to think of it, I never really saw her dark side before. She always seemed so helpless, so dependent, so….so weak .Something tells me this is going to be fun." _Mushi thought to herself as she smirked.

"C'mon! Whaddya waitin' for? Christmas? That stupid jerk, always fooling girls! It's about time he gets a taste of his own medicine! " Suddenly, Crissy remembered all the days she had with her boyfriend. All the long drives they had, the fun times they shared together, and the fights they worked out. And yes, this made her cry, _again_.

"_This is why I don't want any boyfriend." _Mushi sighed. Once her bestfriend was done with all the crying, Mushi spoke up.

"Did you let it all out?"

"Huh?"

"I didn't plan on comforting you while you were crying, 'cause that'll only interrupt you. Are you done now?"

"Uhh…yeah, guess so."

"Good." Mushi said as she smiled. "Now I can make my speech."

"What speech?"

"Listen to me Crissy." Mushi grabbed Crissy by the shoulders, to make sure that their full attention was on each other. "He doesn't deserve you, okay? There's thousands of billions of guys out there who's better than him. I'm sure you'll find someone new." This time Mushi slowly let her go.

"Thanks Mushi. But, um, can I ask you somethin'? "

"Sure."

"If you were on my shoes, what would you do?"

"I'll stop having any boyfriends." Mushi responded quickly. She didn't really like having any boyfriend. She thinks relationships are messy and complicated. Besides, she's happy with being single.

"But why? Don't you even want to, you know, atleast try to be in a relationship? So you would know what it feels like, even just once?"

"No, I don't. And I don't plan to."

"Why?"

"_Isn't she satisfied with a simple 'no'? Dammit, this is getting really annoying." _ Then, Mushi thought of a brilliant idea to shut her up. "Come closer, I'll whisper it to you." She replied as she smirked.

Crissy, unaware of Mushi's plans for her, leaned closer.

"BECAUSE GUYS ARE STUPID, EMOTIONLESS JERKS WHO ONLY CARE FOR THEMSELVES!" Mushi shouted right in Crissy's poor little ear.

"You know, you didn't have to shout like that. I think my eardrums are gonna break." Crissy said in a calm voice.

"If you ask 'why' one more time, you're gonna see stars in the daylight."

While the girls are arguing whether or not Mushi's needs to get a boyfriend, a teenager walked in.

"You know, not all guys are like that." The teenager said.

The looked up only to see Joey Beatles, Wally's younger and smarter brother. He had the same hair color as his brother, but not the same style. He used to wear a hat back in his younger days, but his brother suggested that he'd took it off. His hair is still messy, and the look on his face says he just woke up, probably from Mushi's shouting. He was wearing knee-length shorts and a simple white tee. Yep, he just woke up.

"Hey Joey! " Crissy greeted.

Joey smiled at her, then looked at Mushi. "What? Not even one 'hello' ?

No answer.

"My my, so early in the morning and yet so grumpy already. What happened anyway?" Joey asked.

"Oh no! Do NOT asked us what just happened and pretending you don't know a thing about what were talkin'! And besides, you call 9:30 a.m. early?" Mushi finally talked.

Joey just blinked his sapphire eyes. _"Well, atleast she talked." _ He said to himself. "If 9:30 is already late for you, why are you still in your jammies?" **(A/N: Just to remind you, Mushi didn't found the time to change because the doorbell. Please don't get confused.)**

"Well look who's talkin'!" Mushi exclaimed.

"Atleast mine's more decent." Joey smirked.

"Whatever."

"Anyways, hey Crissy, what's with all the shouting? All I heard was 'guys are jerks…blah blah blah' somethin' like that."

"Oh thank goodness you noticed me! I was beginning to think you've forgotten all about me!" Crissy said happily. Mushi just rolled her eyes while Joey raised a brow. "Well, you see, my boyfriend and I broke up."

"Oh... sorry, shouldn't have asked." Joey quickly apologized. He knew how much she loved him.

"It's ok. Besides, I'm over him already!" Crissy said proudly.

Joey turned back to Mushi. "So…that's what you were shouting for?"

Mushi was about to speak when Crissy interrupted her, again. But it's okay, atleast it's not 2 consecutive times , right? Not unlike the doorbell…

"Aaaactually…we were arguing whether or not Mushi needs to get a boyfriend. But then she said 'no, I don't want any'. Then I ask her why, then she shouted on my ear saying, 'GUYS ARE STUPID!' or somethin' like that. That was the part that you heard-"

"And woke me up." Joey interrupted.

"Right, you heard and woke you up. Then you came and ask what's going on, then Mushi igno-"

"CRISSY!" Mushi shouted. "You're just narrating the whole thing over again!"

"But Joey asked-"

"I know he asked what happened, but don't go narrating the whole story all over again! If you do, then it'll never end!"

While the girls are arguing, _again_, Joey was thinking about Mushi. _"So Mushi doesn't want to be in a relationship, eh? Damn. What a great discouragement for someone whose birthday is coming up. Well, I guess we could stay as friends. But, I just want to call her mine. She's just so…so undeniably, extremely… perfect…"_

Mushi blushed when she caught Joey staring at her. "And what are you staring at?"

"_Shoot! She caught me staring at her! C'mon Joey, think!" _ Luckily, Joey was able to think of a good enough reason. "You said all guys are stupid, emotionless jerks, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Prove it." Joey smirked as he challenged her.

"Oh really?" By the look on Mushi's face, she seems interested. "Well, the best example of a playboy is none other than- you! " Mushi pointed at Joey, her finger was almost touching his nose.

"Uhh…me? Why me?" Joey questioned Mushi stupidly, while pointing at himself.

"Yeah, you! " Mushi repeated. "Why you ask? Well, let's see, who, in this neighborhood can handle having THREE girlfriends at a time?" Mushi said while forming the number three with her fingers.

"Oh, that? The two needed my help. They asked me to be their pretend-boyfriend for that day only. The other one was desperate- she kneeled before me and begged to be my girlfriend. We lasted for like, I dunno, 2 hours? It was just a coincidence that all of that happened at the same day." Joey explained calmly.

Mushi didn't expect that answer, she just blinked. She didn't know what to say next.

"Like I said, not all guys are stupid, emotionless jerks. Some of them know how to feel….and love." Joey smiled.

Mushi blushed when Joey mentioned the word 'love'. _"I hope you're one of those guys, Joey."_

"Uhh…Mushi? You alright?" Joey asked.

Mushi snapped when she heard her name. "Of course I am! Oh, and, prove it that some guys are trustworthy!" This time, Mushi was the one who challenged him.

"Well maybe you should be my girlfriend to know how it feels." Joey bent down to Mushi's height. So now their faces are only inches apart.

"Well maybe I should." Mushi didn't know what she was saying. She just put her hands on her hips and tried to sound as tough as possible. Although, she was melting on the inside.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

After an extremely long minute of silence, Crissy decided to speak.

"So…does this means you two are, ya know, hooked up?"

"What? No!" Mushi shouted.

"But you guys just said that-"

"We didn't meant that." Mushi interrupted. "Right Joey?"

Joey just nodded. Truth is, he was disappointed to hear that Mushi didn't took seriously, _"Damn, and I thought we were hooked up."_

"_If only I could easily say that I ACTUALLY meant that. Ugh, Joey's such an idiot. YES! I WANT TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND YOU IDIOT! But, why did I just deny it? Oh, yeah, that's right, I didn't want it to look so obvious. Great! Mushi Sanban, the toughest girl anyone has ever known, has fallen weak over some- guy. Not just any guy ,but an extremely blunt one! Not only that, an extremely gorgeo- hold it right there Mushi! Am I just gonna call Joey GORGEOUS? No freakin' way! Stupid love! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" _Mushi thought while mentally banging her head on an imaginary wall.

Little did they know, Crissy was thinking too! _"Oh my…my bestfriends are inlove with each other! Looks like they're just too scared to tell it, huh? Wow, Mushi, inlove? That's like, a miracle! I always thought Mushi didn't like anybody! But now that you think about it- wow. She does like Joey. There's no problem with Joey, it's still possible that he'd fall in love, but I never really expected he'd choose Mushi. So, incredible! But, what now?" _An idea struck her mind._ "I'll play matchmaker! Ooh, this is gonna be sooo much fun! I'll just ask Kuki and Wally for help, in case I get stuck. He he, I'm such a genius!"_

"Hey Joey, Mushi! Why don't we have a sleepover? " Crissy suggested. _"I hope they agree. This is gonna be my first step to my masterplan!"_

"Uhh…Crissy, I know manicures, pedicures and little chitchat about boys are fun but-" Joey started off with sarcasm. " –just to remind you, I'm a guy. I'M A FREAKIN' GUY."

"Oh c'mon! We'll only do this as bestfriends! Pleaaaaaassse?"

"Well, I dunno…having sleepover with two girls is no joke."

"I promise there will be no manicures, pedicures, pillow fights, or anything girly!" Crissy assured.

"Oh, alright! But keep that promise, kay?"

"Pinky promise!"

Crissy shifted to Mushi and made her best puppy dog pout ever! , " C'mon Mushi! Say yes for me! Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty, pretty please? With sugar! Lots and lots and LOTS of sugar!"

"No."

"With the cherry on the top?"

"No."

"_Oh man! I knew this was gonna be hard." _Crissy was about to give up when…

"C'mon Mushi! It's gonna be fun! We're gonna watch movies, experiment with food, play Truth or Dare- if you like." Joey cheered.

"Experiment with what?" Mushi gave Joey her oh-so famous 'WTF?' look.

"Science on Saturday nights! Don't you want that?"

"I hate science."

"Well, maybe we could skip that part. But my point is, you'll have fun! Promise!"

Mushi thought about it for a moment before agreeing. "Fine. I'll say yes."

Crissy was staring at them stupidly, as if luck has favored her. _"What just-? Oh forget about it! What matters now is that both of them are coming! Hooray! My masterplan shall continue!" _

"Where's the sleepover?" Joey broke the silence.

"It shall be on…the Sanban residence!" Crissy replied happily.

"WHAT? YOU HAVEN'T EVEN ASKED PERMISSION FROM ME OR FROM KUKI!" Mushi screamed.

"Why should I ask permission from Kuki when I should be asking permission from your parents? Speaking of which, where are yours, Mushi?"

"They're on a business trip."

"Oh. How 'bout yours, Joey?"

"On vacation."

"See! This is perfect! We can have our sleepover at Mushi's house while Kuki's with Wally on Joey's house! They can have they're time together as well!" Crissy continued to suggest.

At this moment, Mushi's jaw just dropped. "Are you crazy? Do you want my sister to get pregnant?"

"That'll never happen." Joey answered for Crissy. " Why? One, Kuki's smart. I know she knows better than that. Two, I don't think big bro plans on having kids, even if they get married. And three, if ever Kuki puts up that kind of subject, which I highly doubt, big bro would immediately changed the subject. If he's too scared to even talk about it, how much more will he get scared if they actually start doing it?" Joey stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Are you sayin' your brother's a chicken?" Crissy commented as she giggled.

"Yeah, somethin' like that."

"Ok, we'll have your lil' sleepover. But, if ever my sister gets pregnant, I'll sue you two." Mushi glared at them.

"O-kay! So we'll our sleepover this night! Joey, you better come, alright! Well, see ya guys later!" Crissy said as she waved goodbye.

"She looks excited." Joey chuckled. "Well, I'll see you later Mushi. Take care." Joey gave Mushi a two-fingered salute. Mushi just smiled at him.

"_They are so gonna hook up." _Crissy thought while walking from a distance.

**Wow, that was long, I guess. Anyways, review! :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Muffins

**Once again, I would like to thank all the people who took their time to read my fanfic. To all who reviewed, I thank you even more. LOL. xD**

**Anyways, I wasn't able to put this in the past chapters sooo…**

**Disclaimer: I didn't, don't and will never own KND. I only own my OC, Crissy. But um, is owning your friend legal? Anyways, enjoy! ^^**

After taking a bath, she went to their kitchen to get started. She got her apron and started baking. Mushi was surprised too by her intentions. Normally, she would only bake on _special_ occasions, and this is just a _normal_ sleepover!

"_Stupid Crissy. If she didn't invite any of us for a sleepover, I woudn't be so troubled now. "_ Mushi thought while mixing some ingredients in a bowl. Yes, she's baking. Muffins, yummy delicious muffins. It's a shock that she actually knows how to bake. Only a few people know that Mushi CAN bake. And if I say _few_, I mean it_._

After hearing the doorbell rang, for what seemed to be a thousand times now, Mushi calmly got a crowbar and opened the door. The person standing before her was none other than -yep, you guessed it –Joey.

"Hey Mushi! Do you wa-" Sadly, he was cut off by the sight of Mushi in an apron and holding a rusty crowbar. "Uhh..are you planning to do something with the kitchen? Or maybe the garage?"

"I was doing something at the kitchen." Mushi stated."But I'm getting' rid of this freakin' doorbell first."

She was about to take off the doorbell when Joey grabbed her arm.

He inhaled deeply before speaking. "Mushi, I've always want to ask you this for a long time now. But I always end up being scared. But, I shall ask it to you now!"

At this point, Mushi began blushing like crazy. "W-what is it?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY ?" Joey shou –erm, I mean asked. "Do you know that Kuki will freak out if she sees the doorbell missing?"

Aww, what a heartbreaker! And she had her hopes up! Luckily, she was able to control herself.

"So? I'll tell her some guys stole it. There, problem solved"

"That'll only freak her out even more."

"Big deal! I'll buy her a necklace or something, as an apology."

"Know what? I ain't getting involved in any of that." Joey said as he sighed. This technically means he's giving up.

"Anyway, what are you doing here in the first place? The sleepover is still hours away."

"I know, but, I'm bored. I need someone to talk to."

"Look, I'm busy. Get lost."

Mushi was about to close the door when Joey stopped it with his foot.

"I said leave, now."

"Judging by your apron, you're baking, right?"

"It's none of your business. Now leave."

"Need some help?" Joey quickly suggested.

"Ugh, fine. Come in."

"Yes!"

Mushi just rolled her eyes and shut the door. She headed back to the kitchen, with Joey following behind.

"So, uh, what are you baking?"

"Muffins."

"For what? My birthday?" Joey chuckled.

"_Oh crud! I forgot about his birthday, again! Well, I can ask Crissy about it later, but it'll be hard if the birthday boy will be there as well." _Mushi thought. "_The whole 'crud' thing made me sound like Wally. Ugh."_

"Mushi? 'Ya still there?" Joey began to worry. She's been spacing out quite a few times now.

"Umm…yeah. Oh and, this is for the sleepover."

"Really?" Joey gave her a surprised look.

"I'm sure Crissy will be asking for some sweets. So, I'm preparing."

"Oh, right. Anyway, what can I do?"

"Mix that cream-like thingy over there." Mushi pointed to the bowl she was mixing earlier. "You see, I've been mixing it manually and well, I'm not getting the expected result."

"Oh, okay then." Joey walked over to the mixture Mushi was talking about.

"And remember Joey, keep the power LOW, if you press high, it'll start flying everywhere."

But it was already too late. Joey accidentally pressed high and the said mixture flew everywhere! It was like the food fight they had on their school. But the food fight was waaaaay worse.

"JOSEPH BEATLES! TURN OFF THAT THING RIGHT NOW!" Mushi strictly commanded. **(A/N: Trivia! In case you don't know, Joey's real name is Joseph. I don't really recall any episode that tells Joey's real name. The name 'Joey' was just his nickname. :D )**

"But, my fingers might get cut off! " Joey protested.

"Then pull the cord off!"

"Alright, alright! I'm doing it already! Just chill."

Joey pulled the cord, and in an instant, the machine stopped and so did the flying muffin mixture of doom. As soon as it stopped, Joey and Mushi looked at each other and started to burst into laughter. Both of them were a mess! Their faces were covered by that cream stuff and their hairs were all sticky!

"You should've seen your face when you said your fingers will cut off!" Mushi was laughing her heart out, while pointing at Joey. _"He still looks cute when he's scared."_

"And you should've seen your face when you called me Joseph!" Joey was doing the same thing, but his laugh was louder than Mushi. _"It's so different when she calls me Joseph rather than Joey. Even if she screamed it rather than said it, it still sounded like the sweetest melody I've ever heard. And hey, she still looks cute even when she's mad, right?"_

After 10 whole minutes of non-stop laughing, they fixed themselves and started working for a new batch of muffin mixture.

"Okay, Joey. I'm gonna give you another chance. You go and mix this, alright? And remember, keep it low." Mushi smiled as she gave the bowl to Joey, who gulped nervously.

While Joey was walking over to the mixer, Mushi was taking cover behind a counter. Once Joey had successfully mixed it, he looked over to Mushi, who was only peeking. He got the bowl of mixture and walked over to Mushi.

"Hey, it's done now. What's next, boss?" Joey said while smiling.

"Great! Now we can bake it!" Mushi replied, grinning happily.

While waiting for the muffins to be baked, Joey and Mushi had a small talk….

"Hey, uh, Mushi?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering, what happened to you?"

"What do you mean exactly?"

"I mean, when we were little, you were this, happy, jolly, bouncy, happy-go-lucky…"

"Your point?" Mushi interfered.

"My point is, when we were little, you were a girly-girl. And now you're more….masculine?" Joey said while scratching the back of his head.

The next thing Joey knew Mushi was narrating the day they first met…

_-Flashback-_

_Mushi was on the swings with her favorite Rainbow Monkey. She was humming a beautiful tune when a group of boys about her age approached her._

"_Aww, look guys. Little Mushi's all alone." One boy said._

"_Hey Mushi, you wanna play some dodgeball?" The other said while holding up one._

"_Umm… I-I'd rather not." Mushi replied hesistantly._

"_Don't you wanna play?" _

"_B-but I…"_

"_Talk to us properly you weakling!" The 'leader' commanded while grabbing Mushi by the arm. _

_Mushi was terrified. She knew she'll get beat up again. After all, they were the same group that bullied her yesterday._

_The leader was about to pull her off of the swings when a dodgeball hit his head._

"_Hey, who threw that?" he yelled angrily._

"_You said you wanna play dodgeball, right?" a boy with blonde hair replied. "I'm just givin' you what you wanted. Is there a problem?"_

"_Why you!" the leader stormed directly to the blondie, who was just standing quietly. When he was about to punch him, the blonde boy 'catched' his head._

"_Hey, lemme go! Or else I'm gonna kick you!" The leader threatened._

"_You know somethin'? You're like my big bro, so little yet so irritating."_

"_I said lem-"_

"_Leave." The blondie interrupted as he started to tighten his grip._

"_O-okay! We'll leave, we'll leave!" With this, he was finally released. _

"_And don't ever come back!" The 'unknown hero' shouted at the group of running AND terrified boys._

_The said hero smiled at Mushi and said, "You're not hurt, are you?"_

"_N-no." Mushi replied. She felt her cheeks heating up when she saw the boy smile._

"_That's good then. Well, looks like my parents are calling me. I'd better go now. It's nice to talk to you. Bye!" The boy said while waving from a distance._

"_T-thank you very, very much!" Mushi shouted._

_-At home-_

"_Kuki, kuki ,kuki! I have to tell you something!" Mushi said to her sister._

"_What is it?" Kuki replied while putting down her orange Rainbow Monkey._

"_Well, there's this guy I met, and –and, HE SAVED ME! He was soooo brave and soooo strong and soooo brave!"_

"_Mushi, you said brave two times."_

"_I don't care! HE SAVED FROM THOSE STUPID BULLIES!"_

"_Well, what's his name then?"_

"_I –uh, forgot to ask. He he." _

"_Umm..okay. Do you remember what he looks like?"_

"_Well, he was wearing a blue hooded shirt, brown shorts ,and shoes of course. His hair is blonde, and it's quite messy. He wears a baseball cap backwards."_

"_That sounds like Joey." Kuki stated calmly._

"_How'd you know his name?" Mushi was surprised at her sister's answer. Kuki just giggled._

"_His older brother, Wally, I also met him earlier. They just moved here the day before yesterday. While I was talking with Wally, Joey came in and introduced himself to me." Kuki explained._

"_Ohh…well, he did mentioned something about his brother."_

"_See! That really is Joey!"_

"_Joey huh?"_

"_Yep! Joseph Beatles!"_

"_I thought his na-"_

"_His nickname's Joey." Kuki interrupted with a giggle._

"_Ohh…"_

"_This is sooo great! I can be friends with Wally while you can be friends with Joey! It's PERFECT!" Kuki exclaimed with full joy._

"_Yeah, great." Mushi replied while looking up the ceiling._

_-End Flashback-_

"I don't get it. All you did was narrate the day we first met. You technically did NOT answer my question." Joey started, his face was emotionless.

"YOU SEROIUSLY DON'T GET IT?"

"Nope."

"It's because of those bullies! They were the one who forced me to become braver AND stronger!"

"Oh, I see."

"And also because of you."

"Me again? Why me?"

"You forced me to become like this so that if ever somebody tries to bully me, you won't end up saving me and becoming like, my hero." Mushi mumbled the last part. _Please don't make me repeat it, please don't make me repeat it…_

"I didn't quite understand the last part. Could you repeat it for me?"

At that exact moment , they heard a loud 'DING!'.

"No, it's nothing. C'mon, muffins are ready." Mushi replied while standing up. Joey nodded.

Mushi got the two tray of muffins out and set it on the table.

"_Mmm…that smells delicious! It's looks delicious too! Wonder if it taste delicious too?" _Joey thought to himself. "_I don't think Mushi would mind if I take just one, right?"_. While he was reaching for the muffins, Mushi spat his.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"The muffins are for the sleepover. Wait."

"But I hel-"

"I. said. WAIT." Mushi growled.

"Just one, please?"

"Alright. Just one."

"Yeah!" Joey exclaimed as he grabbed one muffin. He split it in two and offered the half to Mushi, who accepted hesitantly. When they finished, they looked at each other in amazement and said,

"Yeah! We did it!" Minutes later, they're laughing again. The muffins were a success! Oh, thank goodness…

"I just love it when I bake something perfectly! Don't you love it too, Joey?"

When Joey recovered from his laughter he said, "All I know is that I love you." He obviously didn't know what he was saying. He had too much laughter!

This made Mushi shoot her head towards Joey and blush madly. Joey noticed that Mushi was staring at him, and realized what he just said.

"I-I mean… I-I love you…umm…MUFFINS!" Joey exclaimed stupidly.

"Huh?"

"That's right! I love you muffins! I REALLY, REALLY love you! You are the most delicious treats ever! Oh yes you are, you little cuties!" Joey turned to the muffins and started poking each one of them.

This left Mushi dumbstruck. " Shall I take you to the mental hospital?" She asked innocently.

"Umm…uhh..n-no! I'm…uhh…gonna go home now! Bye!" Joey replied as he rushed out the door.

"Okay. Bye." Mushi replied, feeling kinda lonely. But what Joey said is gonna leave her wondering for weeks.

Meanwhile, Joey was walking by the sidewalk.

"THAT –was TOO close for comfort." He said to one in particular, while scratching the back of his head.

**I finished it! HOORAY! Well, I got nothin' else to say soooo…. I'll skip to my point! **

**REVIEW! Or face the wrath of the evil muffins of DOOOOM! *dun dun dun duuuun***

**Sorry for being too exaggerated. xD**


	6. Chapter 6: Craig

**First thing's first, I truly apologize for the extremely late update. School started and well..things aren't going so nice. But anyways, atleast I'm still able to continue this, right? But, like I said, since school started, expect late updates. I'm really trying my best! PROMISE! But, well..it's just that..I'm always under time pressure. **

**Disclaimer: If I own KND, I would make Joey older than Mushi. Sadly, that only happens in my dreams..**

_-Beatles Residence-_

"WHAT THE CRUD IS TAKING WALLY SO LONG?" Joey complained loudly, super duper loud! So loud he even heard someone shouted back, "Hey, SHUT UP!" It was probably one their impatient neighbors(..besides Mushi). Realizing that it was really loud, he whispered his apology.

"Was it really THAT loud?" he muttered after wards.

Surprisingly, someone answered back, and this time, it wasn't a shout.

"Yes, it was. If it wasn't loud, do you think your neighbors will hear it and complain?"

Joey was confused. He looked to the left, no one; to the right, no one. He looked back and saw no one as well. He looked at the ceiling; he remembered, Spiderman isn't real (only TND operatives are..and some of them are good spies). He was confused. He's all alone and yet, he heard a voice.

"Am I going insane?" He said to himself.

"No, you're not."

"Who are you? Where are you hiding? SHOW YOURSELF!" By this, Joey grabbed a baseball bat.

"Are you sure you want to hit yourself with that?" The voice must be talking about the bat.

"AAH~! I am going insane! First I was talking to muffins, and now I'm hearing voices! What's next? I'll turn psychic? Ohh no.. please not that! I don't wanna be a psycho! But still, I really need to tell this to a psychiatrist! This is NOT good! NOT good I tell ya! The birthday boy is a freakin' psycho? No! It can't be! I-I just- wait a minute! Whoever you are, what do you mean by hitting MYSELF?"

"It took you long enough to snap out of it. Anyways, since I'm already driving you mad, I shall tell you who I am. I am your.."

"My..?"

"Sub conscience."

There was a very looong pause.. The only thing you can hear is the clock ticking.

"My…sub conscience?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you su-"

"Yes I am your freakin' sub conscience! I live inside your brain!"

"Uhh..okay. Well..I guess it's nice to meet you…uhh…Mr. Sub Conscience?"

"Puh-leeease. I do have a name you know."

"Ok now I'm going crazy. Sub consciences DON'T have names."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"MY. NAME. IS. CRAIG. My freakin' name is Craig. Remember that, kid."

"Craig? Seriously?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"I really don't know. Since you're just a voice."

"True, true."

"What do you want anyway?"

"I think the question should be, 'what do YOU want?' You like Mushi Sanban, don'cha?"

"What? How the crud did you know about her?"

"I have a lot of sources. Forget about that, answer my question, NOW!"

"Why should I?"

"Why shouldn't you?"

"I should?"

"Yup."

"Huh?"

"Exactly."

Another long pause.. ._tik tok tik tok_.

"Sooo.. do you like her?"

"Of course I do. After all, we ARE friends."

"No, I meant –MORE than friends."

Then it hit him. Does really like her in THAT way? It's plain unacceptable. Falling inlove with your bestfriend is TOTALLY unacceptable, not to mention weird. But he thought about it. And he thought hard. He remembered all the times he had fun with Mushi, even if those times got the both of them into trouble. He remembered the way he would always spend his time laughing and goofing off with her, all the things he did that he NEVER did with his best guy friends. It's like he's always much more happier with her rather than with his… dudes.

"So you do like her, huh?" Craig snapped.

"I didn't say anything like that!" Joey quickly protested.

"Well… your thoughts might mean something, right?"

"How'd you –oh, right. My sub conscience. Great, just great."

"Just admit it already! You like her! You like Mushi Sanban!"

"Well.. I –"

Just then, his bedroom door opened, and out came his brother.

"Hey Joey. 'Sup?"

"I'm sleeping at Mushi's place this evening. We planned it earlier when you two were gone."

"WHAT? How could you plan something without even asking permission from me?"

"Crissy forced me.. sooo, blame her. And besides, it's not like you're my father now, are you?"

"And Kuki…?"

"She'll be staying here with you." Joey replied without hesitation, as if he said the most normal thing in the world.

"WHAT?"

"Yes, she will. It's decided already, so don't back out."

"Aw, crud."

"Hey guys! How ya'll doin'?" a familiar voice greeted.

"Hoagie! What the crud are you doing here?" Wally shouted.

"I just dropped by to give Joey a little something." The kid with the goggles, also known as Hoagie, grinned.

"Don't leave the door opened next time, big bro. Oh and, thanks Hoagie." Joey said while looking at a box Hoagie gave to him.

"Don't thank me, thank Abby!"

"That's why it was so early." Wally and Joey said in unison.

"Well, I better go. I promised to treat Abby if she won our bet, which, she did. Man! I have to stop making bets!" Hoagie moped while leaving and heading straight to his car. Yes, he has car. Surprise surprise.

"Well, I guess I better go and clean up. Kuki's gonna freak out if she sees all the mess I made in my room." With that, Joey was all alone again.

"Craig, you still there?" Joey whispered softly, hoping his brother wouldn't hear.

"Dude, I'm always here."

"Thanks.. that's..touching?"

"No dude, it's a part of psychology. Whether I like it or not, I'll ALWAYS be here. It's like, I'm trapped."

"Ohh…well..I got a gift from Hoagie..and Abby."

"THAT'S IT! I'M OUTTA HERE!"

"Whoa, dude! Where ya goin'?"

"You're just talking nonsense! What do I care if you received a gift, huh? HUH? I'm only here to help you realize that you like Mushi!"

"But-"

"No buts! I ain't talkin' until you get my message!"

Silence.

"Oh man.." Joey sighed as let himself fall on his bed.

**Erm, I know, it sucks. That's all I can say. I'll do better next time, promise! Hoagie really needs to stop making bets! If he keeps doing that, he'll run out of money. xDD**

**Anyways, review!**


	7. Chapter 7: It's About Time

**Wow, this chapter took long to update. And, I apologize for that. You see, ever since school started, I became very busy. Teachers give us projects, reports, and assignments EVERY SINGLE DAY. Plus, I also have special classes to take every Saturdays. I'm glad those classes are over. But, I will miss the cute guy I met. X)**

**Anyways, enough about that. To my wonderful readers, I thank you. Also to those who reviewed. Here's a little trivia about the past chapter: Did you know that the Craig I'm talking about is Craig Tucker from South Park? :DD He's my favorite and, I can't think of any other name. XD**

**It's a miracle that I found time to write this. So, please, ENJOY! ^^**

_-Sanban Residence-_

"What's taking them so long?" Mushi said to herself while flipping channels. "Wally didn't plan their date at all, but why are they still not here? It's already 5:30, Crissy will be here in about an ho-"

Ding Dong! And there goes the doorbell, again..

"Mushiiii! I'm hereee!" Crissy joyfully shouted from outside, as if it wasn't already that obvious.

"Ugh. Correction, she's already here."

Mushi opened the door and was surprised to she the brunette holding huge and multiple bags.

Mushi sighed and said, "Crissy, we're just having a _normal_ sleepover. We are NOT going to camp."

"I know! I know! But I just wanted to be ready!" Crissy quickly defended.

"Ready for what?" Mushi raised a brow.

"Uhmm.. nothin'.. he he.."

An awkward silence fell on the two as Mushi started to get suspicious. She strongly felt that Crissy was up to something.

"So, uh, you gonna let me in or what?" Crissy spoke.

"Yeah.. yeah sure. Get in."

"Seems like Kuki's enjoying her date, huh?"

"Yeah, she's still with Wally. But I'm kinda glad she's not here. I mean, for once there's silence around the house."

Sadly for Mushi, Kuki arrived. And surprisingly, she's NOT with Wally.

"Hey Mushi-chaaan! How was your day? Oh hey Crissy! Didn't expect you here!" Kuki greeted.

"KUKI! WHERE HAVE YO-"

"Hey Kuki!" Crissy greeted back.

"Crissy, I was talking." Mushi growled.

"Sorry, I was just greetin'"

Mushi rolled her eyes and continued to talk.

"Where have you been, huh? I was waiting for you the whole day!"

"Aww.. you were waiting for me? How sweet! My 'lil sis missed me!" Kuki giggled while pinching Mushi's poor cheek.

"Hey stop that! And, I didn't meant that I miss you! I was only gonna let you know that Crissy and Joey will be spending the night!"

"Joey? But he's.. a HE. And you two are.. SHES."

"Ask Crissy." Mushi said as she pointed at her best friend.

"Anyway, we have agreed that since our parents and Joey's parents are out of town, you'd be spending the night with Wally while the three of us have our sleepover here."

"Sure! No prob!" Kuki smiled confidently. "But wait, does Wally know about this?"

"I'm sure Joey already told him, right Crissy?"

No one answered.

"Crissy? CRISSY!"

"Huh? What?" Crissy poked her head out of the door. Seems she went outside..

"Where were you? I was calling you!" Mushi questioned her.

"Well, since you two seemed very busy discussing those kinds of confidential matters, I went outside and deicided to talk with.. well, I'll let you guess.."

Crissy stepped aside and out came…

**I know, I know. Nothing much happened in this chapter BUT don't worry. I got it all planned out. **

**Anyways, who do you think is the person behind the door? Let me know, 'mmkay? xD**

**Please review. Nate and I will be delighted. **


	8. Chapter 8: Just ADMIT It!

**I'm back! xD And I'm also extremely sorry for the long update. I have school work to do and our family moved to our temporary new house. Anyway, I would like to thank all of my lovely readers who enjoy this crap I make. xD I would also like to thank numbah310alltheway and KNDfangirl who still supports me even if my updates.. well, you know. You guys are the BEST! Here's the next chap! Enjoy! ^^**

**Disclaimer: Oh come on! I think you all know well that I don't own KND, right? RIGHT? *rolls eyes***

_Crissy stepped aside and out came…_

"Hey! What's up?" The raven-haired girl greeted. "Abby wanna know how the Sanbans are doin'" She added with a smile.

"Oh hey Abby! What are you doing here?" Kuki asked.

"Yeah Abby, what are you doing here? I thought you have a date today with Hoagie. " Mushi said.

"Hoagie didn't break up with you, did he?" Crissy gasped with horror.

"What? No you crazy girl! No one, and NO ONE breaks up with Abigail Lincoln! Especially Hoagie." Abby crossed her arms as she mentioned her boyfriend's name.

"Oh..then what are you doing here?" Kuki repeats her question once more.

"Abby thought it would be a good idea to drop by for a while, since Hoagie is at the Beatles' place."

"What's he doing there?' Mushi asked.

"Giving Joey his present."

"What? But his birthday is still a few days from now!"

"Mushi, you know Abby well. She doesn't want to be late for anythin'" Then, something crossed Abby's mind. She grinned evilly and said, "Say Mushi, where's YOUR gift for Jo—" She cleared her throat then continued, "Your boyfriend."

Crissy and Kuki chuckled at Abby's comment, while Abby herself continues to grin.

"B-b-b-b-BOYFRIEND?" Mushi was shocked to hear that cursed word. But, the blush on her cheeks were very much visible. "He's not my boyfriend! Just a friend! OKAY?"

"Suuuure. Whatever you say Mushi." Crissy rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Yeah Mushi-chan. Whatever you say!" Kuki said between giggles.

"Just admit it Mushi, YOU like Joey, don't you?" Abby then gave Mushi a serious look.

"I like him as a friend, ONLY." Mushi protested.

"Stop denying it Mushi. All of us knows it already. Me, Hoagie, Wally, Nigel, Rachel, Kuki, and Crissy." Abby continued.

"Wait a minute, did you just said Nigel and Rachel? How did they knew about it? We rarely get to see them!" Kuki asked.

"Yeah but, remember Wally's birthday last year?"

_-Flashback-_

_Wally was in his room, busy playing with his newly bought video game. He didn't even heard his mother opened the door and entered._

"_Wally dear, your birthday's coming up, don't you want to invite your friends over?" Mrs. Beatles suggested._

"_Mom! I don't want a cruddy birthday party!" Wally answered as he was desperately trying to win the game._

"_But Wally, it'll be much more fun if you have friends to celebrate with. I mean, if you will invite Hoagie over, he can eat anything he likes! I'll be baking cake, I'll cook some pasta and maybe order pizza and blah blah blah.." And she continues on rambling…_

"_Mom, MOM! I get it already! I'll invite some friends, alright?" Wally said with a hint of annoyance in his voice._

"_Alright then! Make sure to invite Kuki, okay?" Mrs. Beatles said as she left the room._

_Wally was glad that his mother's rambling was over. He hated how his mother overreacts and keeps on talking and talking about things he usually doesn't even care about. Sadly for him, a second part was coming._

"_Hey bro!" Joey greeted._

"_What the crud do you want?" _

"_I overheard your conversation with mom and I just thought that maybe…"_

"_Overheard? You were eavesdropping on us."_

"_What? NO! As I was saying, maybe, just maybe, you could.. invite Mushi too?" Joey hoped for a yes, but as expected from his brother…_

"_No. Now get the crud outta here."_

"_But, she's your friend too!"_

"_We're not that close, so no."_

_Joey was now somewhat angry. So he turned his brother's Xbox off and pulled the cord from the outlet. "Are you gonna invite her or not?" Joey glared at his brother._

"_Hey! I was—" Wally growled for a while, then with a angry voice, he said, "No."_

_Joey threw the cord he was holding at his brother. Wally growled as the cord hit his head, Joey growled back, the next thing they knew is that they're wrestling at Wally's bed._

"_Are you gonna invite her or not?" Joey was on top of his brother, his left hand pushing his brother down while the other was pulling his hair._

"_No!" Wally shouted. His right hand was on Joey's face, while his left was clutching his brother's chest. He bended his knees and kicked Joey right on his stomach. The latter was caught off guard, as he was now holding his stomach and trying to endure the pain. _

_Wally, on the other hand, took the chance and pinned Joey on his bed. His hands are now placed on both of Joey's shoulders. _

"_Ha! Whatcha gonna do now Joey?" Wally said in a mocking tone._

"_Me? I don't think so big bro! What are YOU gonna do?" Joey said as he pushed his brother aside. He grabbed a pillow and smacked it on Wally face. "Invite her already!" _

_Wally was now moving his hands and feet uncontrollably. He couldn't breathe now, since the pillow is still on his face. Luckily, he had an idea. He stopped moving and started to tickle his brother. Joey, started to laugh and loosen his grip on the pillow._

"_Why the crud are so demanding about inviting Mushi over anyway?"_

"_Because I just want to spend time with her!" Joey blurted out._

_Wally suddenly let go of Joey and started to laugh loudly. "HAHAHA.. JOEY..HAHA..LIKES..HAHAHAHAHA.."_

_Wally wasn't able to finish his sentence mainly because of his extreme joy. Joey, on the other hand, blushed when he realized that his brother wasn't supposed to hear that._

"_Will you shut the crud up? That's not what I'm supposed to say! I ACCIDENTALLY blurted it out!" Joey shouted in defense._

_Surprisingly, Wally stopped for a brief moment to say, "Tsk, tsk. Denial." Before he started laughing again._

"_Ok, look Joey." Joey said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's NOT a big deal. NOT A BIG DEAL, at all. I just have to relax and say to myself that this is gonna be alright. Besides, it's not like the whole world knows about it, right? Only Wally knows. But I shouldn't worry! He could keep it safe, right? I mean, he's SUPPOSED to keep it safe. He's my brother for crud's sake." Joey stopped to check if his brother already stopped laughing. But as expected, Wally's still at it._

"_Will you stop laughing already?" _

"_Ok..ok.. oh crud.. my sides hurt.." Wally said as he breathe for oxygen._

"_Look, just don't tell ANYBODY about this. Alright?"_

"_Yeah sure, whatever."_

_Just when Joey thought that it was all over, the Beatles suddenly heard people singing, "Joey and Mushi sittin' on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"_

_Joey went outside of the room to see Abby and Hoagie about to go downstairs. He grabbed their shoulders and pulled them so that both of the teens could face him._

"_YOU GUYS HEARD THAT?" Joey asked in complete disbelief._

"_Hey, it ISN'T our fault you guys fight so loud!" Hoagie defended, a small smile forming on his lips._

"_Yeah but, you could've just IGNORED it!" Joey shouted some more, by the tone of his voice, he was OBVIOUSLY annoyed._

"_How could we?" Hoagie responded with a devilish grin._

_There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence that fell between the four teens. Joey was staring at the (mismatched) couple while they were smirking. Wally, on the other hand, stood by the door._

"_Need to go! Bye!" Hoagie said quickly as he took Abby's hand and lead her downstairs._

"_WHAT? NO WAI-!" Joey tried to stop them, but was interrupted by the slamming of the door. He KNEW that those two will tell Mushi right away, since their house is just a few blocks away. "Crud.." He murmured._

"_Great!" Joey said, turning to his brother. "Now my friendship with Mushi is at stake!"_

"_C'mon Joey. It's not THAT bad. Why wouldn't you just let her know? I think she likes you too" Wally encouraged._

"_As if.." Joey said, rolling his eyes. But deep down, he was happy to hear those words, even if it's true or not. "I'm gonna go eat, there's nothing left for me to do anyway.." He said, going down the stairs._

_Once Joey was out of sight, Wally grabbed his phone and began texting Hoagie and Abby. Surprisingly, he DIDN'T want anybody knowing about Joey's secret concerning Mushi. He actually cared for his brother, even if they often fight. But now that Hoagie and Abby already knew, he figured that Nigel and Rachel should know about it, too. Hitting the send button, he smirked and went back to his room. He ACTUALLY permitted Hoagie and Abby to share Joey's secret with Nigel and Rachel. But he warned them that those two people are the ONLY ones they are able to tell it._

"_Hey..uhh..Abby? Wally says that he'll kill us if we ever tell Mushi about Joey's.. you know..he also says that we're allowed to tell Nigel and Rachel. Just not Mushi." Hoagie said to his girlfriend as he read Wally's text message._

"_Nigel and Rachel, huh? Well, it wouldn't hurt to spread the word right? C'mon. let's go to Uno's place." Abby said, tugging Hoagie's arm._

"_WHAT?" Hoagie yelled as he pulled his arm away, and immediately grabbing Abby's hand before she protests. "We're gonna go eat FIRST! I'm starving!" _

"And that's what happened." Abby said with a nod.

"But THAT doesn't prove anything!" Mushi threw her hands up, for emphasis.

"Yes, it DOES." Crissy interrupted "Joey likes you. You like Joey. You confess it to each other, hook up, and live happily ever after!"

Mushi growled at Crissy's comment, which, doesn't seem to make sense. But thankfully for Crissy, Abby agreed.

"Yeah Mushi. C'mon, can't you see it girl? The Sanbans and the Beatles are MEANT for each other! Perfect chemistry." Abby continued to explain.

While Kuki seemed to be flattered at the comment, Mushi wasn't. Mushi just couldn't accept the fact the she LIKES Joey. At first, she thought it was just a phase, but the more she spend time with him, the more she falls in love. And now, her worst nightmare became real. She was inlove with Joey Beatles.


	9. Chapter 9: Problems and Dances

**So uh, since I found the time to do this, I did. xD Thanks again for reviewing! :3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KND.**

**Enjoy!**

At last, the sleepover has finally came to a start. It was just like any other normal sleepover, but they had fun, nonetheless. Joey "borrowed" his brother's Xbox. Once Mushi saw the gaming device, she immediately challenged Joey for a game of "Need for Speed: Most Wanted", while Crissy watched and cheered on for Mushi, and occasionally, for Joey. But soon she got bored. True, Mushi and Joey let her play, but she just wasn't good at racing games. She looked for other games, ones that suit her taste, capability, and ability. Unfortunately, she found none. Since it IS Wally's Xbox, most of his games are meant for guys. And so, Crissy demanded to do something SHE wants, since watching them play didn't really brought her any fun. Joey and Mushi reluctantly agreed, for they have a feeling they won't like it once Crissy took over their sleepover. Seeing them agree, Crissy took out her huge ( about the size of a toolbox ) make-up kit and took out different style of clothing from her bag. Joey and Mushi KNEW where this is going, so they decided to speak up before their torture starts.

" Crissy, we are NOT gonna play make-up and dress-up like little girls trying to impress their prince charmings." Mushi grumbled angrily. Wearing a pink frilly tutu isn't normal for Mushi Sanban.

" Yeah, and besides, didn't you promise me that there will be NO girly stuff? " Joey said with a childish pout. However, Mushi found it undeniably cute. Surprisingly, Crissy did, too.

" I did! That's why I brought boy clothes!" Crissy squealed, showing the said clothes to Joey and Mushi, who stood there with disgust and frustration painted on their faces.

" Crissy…those clothes are…nice? But they aren't really my type. " Joey said, obviously trying to get his way out of their current awkward situation.

"Don't worry! With just a few tweaks, you will look awesome!" Crissy answered gleefully.

"Don't I look awesome already?" Joey smirked, gesturing to himself.

"Joey, cut it." Mushi gave the blond boy a warning glare while Joey raised his hands in a "surrendering" manner. "Anyway, Crissy, what do you mean by a few _tweaks_?" Mushi furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Oh you'll see…" Crissy said calmly, but inside, she was laughing like an evil villain about to take over the world.

Mushi and Joey exchanged glances before looking back at Crissy with suspicious and anxious looks. Crissy, on the other hand, continued smiling.

"Hey, I almost forgot. Mushi, can we have the muffins now?" Joey said, finally breaking the fiery tension inside the room.

"Oh yeah. Hold on, it's in the kitchen. I'll be right back." Before closing the door, she glared at Crissy and said, " Don't. Touch. Anything." And with that, slammed the door shut.

Once Mushi left the room, Joey spoke up. "So uh…" He cleared his throat, a bit reluctant to say what he wanted to say. "Crissy, what kind of… tweaks… will you exactly do to us?" He continued.

"Oh I'll just put some make-up on you guys. Lipsticks, eye shadows, mascaras…the like" Crissy replied as she rummaged through her belongings.

"You're seriously gonna put THOSE on…ME? _Me? _Seriously?" For a second there, Joey mouth gaped in shock. What kind of guy would like it if make-up would be applied on their face?

"Well..no.." Crissy admitted shyly, while Joey gave a relieved sigh. "I'll just put some powder on you, to make your skin even whiter."

"Well, I guess that would work." Joey shrugged, it actually is much better if powder was the only thing Crissy would put on his face. "But um..could you, actually put some creativity while "tweaking" Mushi's face?" Joey asked quietly.

"Creativity? What, like a geisha?" Crissy asked him innocently. It is true that whenever the word "creativity" was mentioned, geishas are the first things that would come into the brunette's mind.

"NO! Not like that!" Joey defended, quicker than he should be.

"Then what?"

"I dunno…" Joey started off, scratching the back of his head. "Like, make her prettier, or something…"

"So you two could be like Romeo and Juliet?" Again, pure innocence.

"WHAT? NO! Well actually – yes." Joey said with a sigh of defeat. "But DON'T tell her _anything_, okay?" The blond added quickly. He knew Mushi enough to know how the Asian girl would react if she knew it was HIS suggestion. And he also knew Crissy well enough to say that the brunette, is in fact, a complete blubbermouth.

"Okay! I shall keep my mouth shut! Promise!" Crissy smiled at Joey for assurance, while Joey returned that smile.

At that moment, Mushi came in, with a tray of muffins in hand. "Alright guys, here they are." Mushi announced with a small, unnoticeable smile. As soon as she rested the tray on her small desk, Crissy grabbed some muffins and stuffed them in her mouth, which result to her cheeks looking like big snowballs.

Joey and Mushi and chuckled at their friend. But soon they decided to get some of their own, before the glutton finishes the whole thing. After all, it was THEM who baked and worked hard for those muffins.

They exchanged stories and other stuff as they eat. They would laugh, joke or bicker with one another, whatever it is, they were content. After finishing the muffins, Crissy finally stated what she has been DYING to say all night.

"Time for a make-over!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Joey and Mushi feared the worst. It's finally time…

**AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER . . .**

"C'mon Mushi! Hurry up!" Crissy cried impatiently before pacing back and forth again. Mushi was changing in her walk-in closet, as ordered by her best friend. Meanwhile, Joey sat on the bed, playing a guitar and humming a tune. Apparently, he found an old guitar inside Mushi's closet while he was changing, and he took it with him as he left.

Joey was wearing semi-formal clothes. He had a white, long-sleeve polo ( purposely leaving the first two buttons undone ) and a black, unbuttoned coat. He wore his normal jeans, much to Crissy's disappointment. She didn't really expect that Joey would be bigger and bulkier than what he looked like. He also wore his black Converse.

"Okay, I'm done." Mushi announced unhappily from inside her closet. Seconds later, the closet door slightly opened, allowing some fabric to peek through.

"C'mon Mushi! Get outta there!" Crissy said excitedly as she flung the door open. Mushi was startled, of course, but Crissy didn't care. Mushi looked absolutely _gorgeous._

The clothes Crissy picked out for her friend were quite simple, but were undeniably stylish. Mushi wore a white, sleeveless dress which fell just above her knees, while the straps met at the back of her neck. She also had black heels. Not too tall, not too short, just fine. Her hair was brought up into a bun, leaving some strands of her hair falling beside her now-more-rosy cheeks. She had a small, tiara on, though she kept insisting the brunette to take it off, which, expectantly, led into another fight.

Joey, on the other hand, stopped playing his – er, Mushi's guitar the moment he saw the noirette. She was more than beautiful. She was breathtaking, astounding, stunning – hot. Needless to way, Joey was loss for words, so all he could do was stare at Mushi like a creeper. Unfortunately, Mushi was NOT happy when she noticed Joey staring.

But before she could say or do anything, Crissy spoke up, "Okay! Umm..let's see now…" She placed a finger at chin, indicating that she is trying to remember something.

"Oh yeah! That's right!" she exclaimed. "Now Mushi, I want you to say this to Joey." Crissy ordered calmly, showing her some lines from a book.

"Okay…um." She turned to Joey and started reading, "Oh Romeo, my Romeo, wherefore art thou, my Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; but if thou wilt not, but, be sworn my love, and I will no longer be a Capulet." Mushi recited, keeping her voice monotone, and an unimpressed look still painted on her face. She sighed. "Crissy, does Joey look like a Romeo to you?"

"Well…it would nice if you to would marry, even if it's just pretend." Crissy admitted sheepishly.

"Sounds more like "King" Sandy and Kuki to me." Joey chuckled at the thought. Mushi found it quite funny too, remembering all those times Sandy tried to make Kuki his bride, but always ending up beaten by Wally. Crissy, on the other hand, had NO idea what her friends were talking about.

"Uhh…who's King Sandy?" The brunette asked.

"Oh it's no one. Just some old…friend." Joey answered.

"More like companion than a friend." Mushi argued. "He's just a nobody, forget about it."

Right at that moment, they heard somebody POUNDING on the front door, and calling out Crissy's name like a mad man.

"Crissy! Crissy! I KNOW you're in there! Open up this instant!" The voice yelled out loud. Judging from the voice, it was a guy. And THAT guy was someone who Crissy didn't want to see again. _Ever._

Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she let herself fall and kneel to cold, concrete tile. It was VERY rare to see someone as enthusiastic as her to cry, but when she does, it's like she's never gonna stop.

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" she screamed as she buried her face onto her hands. Mushi, knowing full well WHO the guy was, held her best friend and comforted her.

"It's okay. He's won't be able to come in." Mushi soothed the brunette, petting her head all the while.

Joey, still unaware of the situation before him, walked out of the bedroom and stood by the door. He straightened out his clothes and opened the door. The man stumbled but was able to regain his balance. When the man saw Joey, rage entered into him and started to fight and beat up the blonde boy. Unfortunately for him, Joey, being a part of the TND ( and was a part of KND ), had more experience when it comes to physical fighting. So, their so-called match ended quickly. After that, Joey finally realized who the man is, making him even more surprised, and confused.

"Lemme go! I want to see Crissy, not you, you blonde freak!" The man yelled, trying to wiggle his way out of Joey's tight grip.

Crissy heard this, and though she knew she wasn't ready, she asked Mushi to let go of her, saying that she could probably deal with the current situation. Mushi reluctantly agreed, anxiously watching her best friend leave the room.

Once Crissy stepped outside, the man even struggled harder. Truth be told, Joey already found it difficult to keep the man tight on his grip. Luckily, he was able to, with the help of Mushi, who found it beneficial if she helped Joey, rather than just sitting on her bedroom floor.

Crissy sighed. She didn't want to do this, mainly because of her plan to hook up her friends, but she KNEW she have to. "_Looks like I still have some of MY own business to care of." _She thought. "Joey, Mushi, let him go. " She ordered calmly.

Once the man was freed, he immediately dashed towards Crissy's direction. But to his dismay, Crissy stepped aside, making him pass the brunette.

Again, Crissy sighed. "I DON'T know exactly WHY you are doing this, but.." She trailed off. "I know we should finish this right now."

"Okay…I think that would be better." The man, named Sean, Crissy boyf- I mean, ex-boyfriend, agreed.

But before heading outside with her ex, Mushi grabbed the brunette arm and gave it a rough pull, making Crissy spin.

"Crissy, are you sure about this?" Mushi asked her, a glint of concern in her jet-black eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, I won't be able to do my plan if this keeps up." Crissy said confidently.

Joey stepped in, "What plan?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, we'll better head out before Sean goes mad again. Wish me luck, guys." And with that, Crissy closed the front door, leaving Joey and Mushi inside.

"So..um, you think they're gonna be alright?" Joey said, turning to Mushi.

"No." Mushi shot back.

"That's kinda…harsh?" Joey replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Look, just let them be. Let them do what they wanna do. If you interfere, it might even get worse." Mushi defended herself. True, Joey didn't want to let the current situation go any worse. It'll only hurt Crissy, and, who knows, might even affect his friendship with Mushi.

"Let's just go back to my room and continue without her." Mushi turned, heading towards her room.

"Agree. It's quite a relief she left. I mean, what kind of other things she would've want to do to us?" Joey said, stuffing his hands on the pockets of his jeans. "You look great, by the way."

Mushi stopped a moment to look at Joey, who was smiling at her with those bright, blue eyes. "You don't look so bad, yourself. In fact, I think Crissy did a good job on you. You should keep that style, it suits you." Mushi found herself blurting out.

"Wow. That was unexpected." Joey chuckled. Really, he NEVER expected something that to come from Mushi. But it's not like he's complaining. He liked it. A lot. "So, since we both look good, care to dance?" Joey said, sticking his hand out to Mushi, while keeping the other stuck on his pocket.

"We don't have any—"

"Music?" Joey took out his other hand to hit "Enter" on Mushi's laptop. At once, slow music began to fill the room. "Any other excuses?"

"What if Cri—" Mushi started off. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to finish her sentence when she felt Joey pulled her towards him. Joey's hands, meanwhile, were at the back of Mushi's waist. Mushi, not knowing what to do (mainly because of the sudden gesture that startled her), put her hands on Joey's shoulders as they began to dance to the soft melody produced by the laptop.

"Are you enjoying this?" Joey whispered quietly, enough to let Mushi hear what he said.

"S-sorta. My room is too small…I, can't move much." Mushi stuttered, a blush starting to creep onto her cheeks. However, her room WASN'T small. All the junk brought by Crissy made it look small. But really, her room is big enough to fit 2 king-size beds.

Joey can only smile. It was SO rare to see Mushi acting like this. But what he doesn't know is that he's the ONLY one who can Mushi blush, stutter, nervous at the same time.

Not to mention happy.

**GAAAH..IT'S FINISH! XD Wow, that was longer than expected. O.o This is the best chapter I made…so far…I think. xDD Anywhooo..review? :3 I would love it. :DD**


	10. Important Author's Note: Do Read It

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, um, I know this isn't allowed but I NEED to say this. What do you guys think of a rewrite? I mean, I couldn't help but say to myself how crappy my story is every time I read it. It sucks. And I feel like it's going nowhere. I see so many flaws here and there that I couldn't help but curse myself. Honestly, what do you think? Should I do a rewrite or what? Please, need your opinions on this one. Thanks.**


End file.
